During the annual Lutheran Free Conference sponsored at Redeemer, both presenters urged us as Christians to read the Koran that we might know what it actually says. Both also acknowledge that it is very difficult read. I asked Dr. Schmidt and Dr. Furnish for the recommendation of a translation to read. Here are their responses:
Recommendation from Dr. Alvin Schmidt:
Regarding what Koran one should buy, let me say that all are difficult to read. But there are a couple things one should keep;t in mind when buying and reading one. About half of the Koran translations use “Allah” instead of God. This is a clear indication that the translator admits that God and Allah are not interchangeable terms and that God and Allah are not the same. The translations that use God instead of Allah are in reality trying to deceive non-Muslims in that they are giving the impression that God and Allah are really the same. But every informed, committed Muslim does not believe that God and Allah are the same.
One good place to check is how Sura 4:34 is translated. This is the passage tells husbands that on occasion they need to beat his wives physically. Some translations try to tone down the violence against wives in this passage. So they say husbands are to beat their wives “gently” or “lightly.” This is a good example that the rest of Koran will likely also tone down other passages. So if the translation says the wives are to be hit gently, it is a good indicator that similar toning down will be found other passages. My recommendation is to buy a Koran that does not tone the violence against women.
The translation by Majid Fakhry, titled An Interpretation of the Qur’an. It uses “Allah” instead of God. This translation is approved by Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, but it is published by New York University Press (2004). BTW, Al-Azhar University is the most revered university in the Muslim world. This translation is one of the better ones. It’s available in paperback cover from Amazon.com. It does not tone down violent passages.
Recommendation from Dr. Tim Furnish
James Rodwell’s translation: Amazon link to Dr. Furnish’s recommended translation